Grunt calls used to simulate sounds produced by deer are known in the art. The calls generally include a reed which is supported within a call barrel and which is capable of vibrating in response to air blown into a mouthpiece of the barrel end. The vibrating reed in the call causes a sound to be emitted out of a distal end of the tube. The specific pitch of the sound is determined by the vibrational characteristic of the reed, such as the length of the vibrational portion of the reed. A hunter or wildlife enthusiast may require grunt calls which generate sounds at different pitches depending on whether the caller is intending to simulate a fawn, a doe, or a buck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,946 issued to Oathout discloses a game calling device which can generate simulated deer sounds at different pitches. An open sidewall portion of the grunt tube is covered by a continuous length of elastic skin which can be manipulated anywhere along its length with finger pressure to modify the pitch of the generated sound. The Oathout patent also discloses the use of memory bands which can be positioned across the elastic skin at predetermined reference points which if manipulated corresponds to a desired sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,675 issued to Boecker discloses a goose game caller capable of generating sounds at different pitches. The goose caller includes a single radially extending plunger, or push button, which is capable of being manipulated with finger pressure to engage the reed and alter the pitch of the sound emitted by the caller.
Other wildlife game callers known in the art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,579,903; 726,277; 2,544,370; 1,484,148; 825,610; and 3,029,554.
Although various ones of the above-referenced game calls may be satisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for a single deer grunt call which is capable of selectively simulating a sound corresponding to a fawn, doe and buck. The game call should be limited to producing sounds only at several discrete predetermined pitches so that the intended sound is readily reproducible and so that sounds at unwanted pitches are prevented. The deer call should be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.